The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1887-03-29
A ROBBER FOOL.
Believed That No Detective Could
Overhaul Him.

WIS In the active employ OF Pink
erton for many years. and | took my
full share of the risks incident to de-
tective work, but the very first case as
signed me had more peril in it than
any four others combined. had done
some ''spotting' and '.shadowing," and
had helped on two or three cases, when
/ was sent to Milwaukee to look after
an emnezzler. The case was stated in
a nutshell. A Mrs. Pierce, widow of
wealth, and a woman who trusted her
servants altogether too much, received
one day from the East by express Il
package of money amounting to $l4,-
900. She had been in the habit of
sending her butler to the bank to make
deposits for her, and now and then to
draw money on her written order. He
had been with her for several years as
sort of man of all work in the house,
and she had found him strictly honest.
She gave him the money to deposit
without fear of his being tempted.
He Was not seen after hc left the house.
a. Nlfu HOt ia w AllI fbdIN. silNt AOl
three or four days Mrs. Pierce and
Others labored under the belief that he
had been robbed and murdered. The
hunt for his dead body was going on
when | reached Milwaukee.
The name of the butler was John
Lane, and he WAS described Ia me as a
sandy-haired, red-faced man. weighing
one hundred and sixty pounds and
wearing sandy moustache. His hab-
its were declared to bc above replOach.
and Mrs. Pierce Indignantly resented
nav suggestion that he might have run
sway. So did the local detective who
had the case in hand. | held from the
first tO the theory that he had run
away. He had been told to hurry back.
He could reach the bank in walk OF
fifteen minutes, having only two OF
three turns To make. 1t was at two
O'Clock i'm the afternoon, and he could
be in no personal danger. No one could
be found who had seen him between
the house and the bank, although he
was well known. But the best clue
was found in Lane room. There was
u handful of sandy hair in a paper
under the lavatnry. There was an.
other paper spotted with lather, in
which were enough bristlcs To make s
moustache. Behind an old trunk wa:
q bottle which had contained hair dive
Mrs. Pierce received the money about
ten O'Clock in the forenoon. and sin,
remarked to Lane that she would have
him deposit it after dinner. He waitet
change i'm his appearance. but between
thai time and two he shaved off hi
moustache, cut off lot of his hair, APP
piled the dye. and Mrs. Pierce remem
bered that he was muificd up "a IN
went out. leaving by the side door
Now came the hardest part of the work
When you know which way a crimina
is heading it is quite easy To keep hi
trail. but when Won cant say whethe
he is i'm New York or Omaha, or tina
be may not be hiding within two block
of YOU. it is quite Il different matter
From the servants in the house learne
that Lane had always declared he hate
the very sight of cities and towns. an
he had no care for fine clothes and 81
eiety. He also had great horror G
the water. This seemed TO argue tina
he would not head for Europe. "a 4
first feared. 1t was well known tha
he had-a holy horror of the West. HAY
ing read of savage Indians, prairie flre'
grizzly bears, rattlesnakes, etc. Ihs
seemed to argue that he would NOT z
West, Would be go North or South
Twas helped out of my dilemma IN
curious way. j had been at ever
steamboat Office and railroad depo
meeting with no success, and was stan'
ing in front of the Second NaticH'